Former Mayor John Wuo was elected Mayor once again by his new fellow Council Members Tuesday night and announced a theme of “Working Together” for the coming year. And former Mayor Gary Kovacic was elected Mayor Pro Tem.
Scott Hettrick
Three newly-elected Council Members were sworn in by City Clerk Gene Glasco – Tom Beck, Sho Tay, and Roger Chandler (see updated story about election results here)– the most at one time in anyone’s memory, certainly for decades. And three longtime City Council Members, including the current and two former Mayors – Mickey Segal, Bob Harbicht, and Peter Amundson — stepped aside after receiving numerous accolades; likewise, the most Members to leave the Council simultaneously in recent memory.
Newly crowned Mayor John Wuo – photo courtesy Andrew Gregson.
Who would have thought that two hours of listening to politicians talk about themselves and each other would actually feel sincere and engaging. But after a parade of dignitaries, community leaders, and legislative reps presented certificates and plaques of appreciation to the three outgoing Council Members, each of them, including the three outgoing and later the five curent Council Members, offered heartfelt comments praising their wives and families, City staff, and each other. And they all extolled the virtues of Arcadia, pledging no great changes but to maintain the city’s strengths, with Tay suggesting only a few minor tweaks here and there. In his last moments as Mayor, Segal drew laughs when he said his admiration was so great for the skills and support of the four women who work in the City Manager’s office — Linda Garcia, Mary Buttice, Connie Schacatano, and Kristen Olafson-Segal — that if he weren’t married they could each take turns being his wife. He later welled up with emotion when thanking his wife Lee for her support.
L-r: Mayor Pro Tem Gary Kovacic and incoming Mayor John Wuo say goodbye to Mayor Mickey Segal, Bob Harbicht and Peter Amundson.
Having covered many City Councils during my former career as a newpaper reporter, this transition was remarkably civil, a very good early sign for this Council that represents the biggest change in decades. Here are just a few of the notable aspects that come with tonight’s transfer of leadership:
Two of the new Council Members – Beck and Tay — have never been on the Council before, also unprecedented in recent years.
Two of the five Council Members are Chinese-American – Wuo and Tay, which has only happened once before in a town that has a majority population of Chinese-Americans. The other three are Caucasian men; there are no women.
L-r: Mayor Pro Tem Gary Kovacic welcomes new Council Member Sho Tay.
Beck announced that he, at age 62, is the oldest person to be making his debut on the Arcadia City Council. Tay is not far behind at age 56, and yet, Tay is the youngest Council Member and the only one under age 60.
Kovacic announced that Beck joins Kovacic as the second lawyer on the Council (Beck retired from his Pasadena law firm last year). But Kovacic didn’t mention that he and Beck also represent the only Democrats on the Council, another unusual situation in this primarily Republican town, although politicians here are quick to point out that Arcadia politics are refreshingly non-partisan.
L-r: First-time Council Member Tom Beck and returning Council Member Roger Chandler,
Runner-up Council Candidate Burton Brink led off the City Council meeting by using the public comment period to first express respect for the winners and the process and then announce he would be back to run again in two years when Kovacic will be termed out and Wuo is expected to run for re-election.
The 2016 campaign already got even more interesting when Harbicht – whom most thought would end his poltiical career with this conclusion of his record run of 20-years as an Arcadia Council Member — concluded his remarks by asking City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto to take care of the City until he returns to the Council in two years. And Chandler remarked publicly that he would not be surpised to see Amundson back on the Council in the future. Both Harbicht and Amundson are termed out after completing two consecutive four-year terms, but they can run again after a two-year hiatus. That would potentially pit former Mayors Wuo, Harbicht and Amundson against each other in a race for two seats in 2016, with Brink also in the mix along with fifth-place finisher this year, Paul Van Fleet (he also vowed privately tonight that he would run again in 2016), and at least two other newcomers who have said in recent days that they will likely run in the next election.
City Clerk Gene Glasco swears in new Council Members l-r: Tom Beck, Sho Tay, Roger Chandler.
The evening that began with the annual public reception outside City Council Chambers catered by Matt Denny’s Ale House Restaurant, ended with an invitation-only party hosted by Mayor John Wuo at the new La Luna Negra restaurant on Huntington Drive in Downtown Arcadia. It got under way about an hour later than expected at about 9 p.m. but no one seemed in a rush to leave. Wuo said he chose the restaurant to show support to a new Arcadia business that recently moved from Pasadena where it had been operating on Green Street for 18 years.
— By Scott Hettrick